Media & Public Relations

Binghamton University alumni to share television career advice

2002-11-19

Three Binghamton University alumni who took divergent paths to become players in the world of television will share career advice in a panel discussion at 6: 30 p.m. Monday, November 25, in room 133 of the University Union. The panel is free and open to the public.

Panelists will include Michelle Altman, a writer for the daytime drama One Life to Live; Majorie Cohn, a production executive with Nickelodeon; and Andrew Goldstein, a producer with the NBC Today Show.

Altman graduated in 1975 with a BA in English and took a job as an assistant editor with a sports magazine while also performing in plays and stand up comedy. Her break came when she and Michael Zettler co-wrote the play, The Amazin’ Casey Stengel, which ran in New York City in 1981. The play was nominated for a Drama Desk Award the same year. They also wrote the 1986 film Sweet Lorraine. Altman and Zettler went on to write several pilots for television before a production company put them under contract for Kate & Allie. In 1998, Altman started writing for One Life to Live, which won the Emmy for best dramatic series this year for the first time in the show's history.

Cohn graduated in 1978 with a BA in art. After graduation, she began her career as a puppet designer for a New York City television studio. This led to her interest in television production. She started working as a production manager for Viacom Cable and after several promotions, is now senior vice president of production for Nickelodeon.

Goldstein graduated in 1984 with a BA in English and Rhetoric. His involvement with the campus newspaper Pipe Dream led to a career in journalism. Goldstein held several assistant-type jobs in New York City in the television industry before becoming a page at NBC 10 years ago. After working his way up the ladder, Goldstein is a producer for the Today Show.

Prior to appearing on the television career panel, Altman, Cohn and Goldstein will also spend part of their day talking to students in various classes.

The panel is sponsored by the Harpur College Dean’s Office. For more information about the panel, contact Laurie Miller at 607-777-3407.